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Chloe fainted in Daniel's arms right outside her house. He noticed she had a fever, so Daniel carried her to the hospital, where he ordered a series of tests. He told Lexie that Chloe had a fever and they might not have time to find out what was causing it. Daniel was impatient about getting the blood work back, and Lexie noticed he was too emotionally involved, and she had never seen him that way before. Lexie suggested that he was too close to be Chloe's doctor, but he insisted on handling Chloe's case. Lexie urged Daniel to notify Lucas, and Daniel asked her to have Lucas contacted.

Sami went through Rafe's wallet looking for money to pay for their food when she stumbled upon a memorial card for Emily Hudson. She wondered why Rafe held onto it, but before she knew it, Rafe entered the room and caught her. She didn't let on that she had found the card. He asked why she had his wallet, and she told him that she needed money for the food. Rafe volunteered to go to the ATM and pick up the Chinese food.

After they showered together, Rafe commended Sami for leaving the subject of Emily alone. He said they both had people in their past that they didn't want to think about, but it was best to leave them in the past and not let them affect Sami and Rafe's future. While Rafe was gone picking up their food, Sami agonized over her discovery.

Max answered the phone at the Brady Pub when Bo called, and Bo told him to stay put so he could say goodbye to Max. Max was glad to see Bo, because he wanted to ask Bo something. Caroline told Max that she would miss him a lot. Caroline assured Max that everything would be fine at the pub with their new manager.

Arianna overheard them and asked about the new manager, and Max admitted that he forgot to tell the new manager about the position. Caroline pressed him to get on it right away, so Max informed Arianna that they were planning to promote Arianna to manager. Max apologized to Arianna for telling her at the last minute, but he had been busy getting ready to move overseas. Arianna accepted the job.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Lucas told Kate that Daniel and Chloe were a hit with the focus groups. Lucas considered it "the start of beautiful things" for Hearth and Home, and for Chloe. Lucas left to answer a call, and Kate said to herself that she didn't consider it a start. It was more like the end, she said. Lucas overheard Daniel's voice, which was playing from Kate's voice recorder. Lucas asked why Kate recorded Daniel.

Kate told Lucas that she recorded the strategy meetings that she, Chloe, and Daniel had. Lucas thought Kate was going overboard, but Kate said she was trying to make Lucas happy by making Chloe successful. Lucas wanted Chloe to get everything she wanted and deserved. Kate told him that he didn't know how hard she was working to make that happen.

Lucas noticed that Kate kept checking her watch, and she suggested that he go home and spend time with Chloe. Lucas got a call from Lexie, who told him to report to the hospital immediately to be with Chloe. Kate pretended to be surprised, but she wanted to go with him.

Daniel told Chloe that he couldn't give her anything to help with the pain until he got the test results back, but he promised to help her get through it. Chloe was glad Daniel was there. Lucas arrived, and Lexie explained that Chloe lost consciousness and collapsed, but she was awake. Lexie wouldn't let Lucas in right away while the doctors were working on bringing down Chloe's fever. He wondered if the cancer returned, but Maggie warned him not to jump to conclusions, and Lexie assured him that they would find out what was wrong with Chloe. "Hopefully, by the time you do, it will be too late," Kate thought to herself.

Daniel told Lucas that Chloe's fever was down and her pain was reduced, so she was better. Daniel was perplexed, though, because the initial blood work was negative. Daniel told Kate that it made no sense that the tests were negative, since it was clear that Chloe was poisoned. Kate asked if Chloe would recover, and Daniel told her that she would. Then Kate pointed out that Daniel was really concerned about Chloe. Daniel got angry with Kate at the insinuation she was making and said he was concerned because he was Chloe's doctor.

Chloe described the pain she was feeling to Lucas, and he said it was good that Daniel was there when she got sick. Kate joked with Chloe about her getting sick. Lucas thought that Chloe was working too hard and that's why she was sick, so he suggested she cut back on her work hours. Kate thought Lucas was overreacting, and Chloe agreed, because she felt better than she felt before. Kate called Daniel a miracle worker and said it was a good thing that he was close by when Chloe passed out.

Maggie approached Daniel and commented on the way he snapped at Kate. He thought Kate was trying to push his buttons and said just because Kate knew about his affair with Chloe didn't mean she could do whatever she wanted. Maggie suggested that maybe Daniel should step down as Chloe's doctor. The latest round of tests arrived, and they were negative, also. Daniel decided to call in a specialist.

Maggie apologized to Daniel for acting like a busybody, but he knew that she was simply trying to reason with him. Maggie understood how hard the situation was on him. Maggie commended Daniel for reassigning Chloe's case to another doctor, and he thought that being that close to Chloe made it easier for Kate to torment them, and that wouldn't help Chloe. Maggie didn't understand why Kate was behaving the way she was, because Kate wouldn't risk hurting Lucas by telling him what she knew.

Kate knew that Daniel would stay involved in Chloe's case until he found out what was wrong, but Chloe wanted a new doctor. Kate warned her against it, but Chloe insisted. Kate noted that Daniel knew Chloe's medical history. Lucas spoke up on Chloe's behalf, and Chloe said that while she understood Kate's reasoning, she still would feel more comfortable with someone else. Kate planned to make things worse for Chloe.

At Maggie's house, Melanie was feeling down over her brother leaving for London. Nathan noticed her crying, and she told him that Max was the only person who cared about her. Nathan told her that wasn't true. Melanie asked if he cared, and while he didn't answer her, he brought up Stephanie's name, saying that she had to be Melanie's friend. Melanie said that Stephanie had to be nice to her. Nathan offered to take Melanie out for something to eat at the pub to cheer her up.

Bo arrived, and Max told him that he wanted his blessing to be with Chelsea, but Bo said he wouldn't give his blessing. Bo said Max and Chelsea didn't need Bo's blessing or anyone else's permission. Max pointed out that at one point, Bo was upset to find out that he and Chelsea had gotten serious about one another.

Bo admitted he had acted like a jerk in the past, but he said that Max only needed Chelsea's blessing. Bo said if Max decided to marry Chelsea, they would have a wedding in Salem or the family would travel to London. Melanie overheard them talking and got upset. Max took Melanie aside and accused her of overreacting. He said that if he and Chelsea decided to get married, it wouldn't be any time soon, and besides, he hadn't asked Chelsea to marry him yet.

However, Melanie assumed that Chelsea would jump at his marriage proposal. Melanie was afraid that Chelsea would change Max and he wouldn't care about Melanie the way he used to. Max told Melanie that he would still be her brother and that they could keep in touch, but Melanie said it wouldn't be the same. Meanwhile, Bo started to warn Nathan about Melanie, but Nathan said he already heard the lowdown on her, so Bo backed off.

Melanie said it felt like Max was abandoning her. He said he asked her to go with him, but she wanted to stay. Then he pointed out that she and Nathan seemed to be getting closer, but Melanie downplayed it. Max said that he and Chelsea weren't best friends, either, at first. Caroline interrupted their conversation to tell Max that his taxi had arrived to pick him up. Max said goodbye to everyone, and Melanie made him promise to answer all the emails she sent to him.

Rafe ran into Arianna at the park, and she told him about her promotion. She surmised that Rafe had too much food for one person, so she realized that he and Sami were still together. Rafe said that he and Sami agreed to leave the past behind, but Arianna didn't believe that Sami would live up to that. Arianna pointed out that Sami agreed to one thing but did the opposite before, and she predicted that Sami was doing an Internet search on Emily. Meanwhile, Sami was searching online for information on Emily.

Rafe told Arianna that sometimes he felt like telling Sami about Emily. Arianna told him that he couldn't inform Sami. He wanted to tell Sami because he didn't want to keep secrets. Arianna thought that Sami hadn't told him everything about her past, but Rafe said that Sami had. Arianna made him promise to keep details about Emily to himself, and he promised to hold off for the time being, but Arianna wanted to keep that information between them.

Rafe insisted that he would never do anything to hurt his sister. Arianna told him that she understood he was just trying to protect Sami because he loved her. He said that he loved Emily, too. Meanwhile, Sami read an article online showing that Emily died on the day she was supposed to marry Rafe.

Due to NBC News coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial, Days of our Lives did not air today. The show was preempted nationwide, and there will be no "lost" episodes as a result of the special news coverage.

Regular programming will resume on July 8, and picked up where the July 6 episode concluded.

Nathan found Maggie reading the paper at the kitchen table, and reported that his visit with Great-Grandma Alice had gone well. Maggie had to blink back the tears when Nathan produced Great-Grandpa Tom's medical bag, a gift from Alice. Nathan admitted he was worried that he could never live up to his great-grandmother's-or University Hospital's-expectations.

Maggie tried to reassure Nathan that he already had, just by becoming a doctor. She wished Nathan could have known his great-grandfather, because he would have seen for himself how humble Tom was. She reminisced about how Melissa had been pregnant with Nathan at Tom's funeral, and although it had been a sad day, Nathan's impending birth-the cycle of life-had given them hope.

Nathan remarked that he was glad he'd taken his mom's last name, Horton, because he'd never felt a connection with his father. Maggie firmly assured him that he'd done the right thing. She added warmly that he should stop pressuring himself to live up to his great-grandfather's legacy, because if Nathan carved his own way, he would make Tom very proud.

Maggie then informed Nathan that Melanie had "uninvited" the two of them from the cabin cleanup, in favor of a couple of Melanie's friends. Nathan was disappointed, because he thought Melanie had forgiven him. Maggie was sure she had, and that Nathan would find a way to smooth things over. Nathan thought about it as Maggie walked out. "Yeah, I will," he said to himself.

Arianna and Brady were irked when each arrived at the Horton cabin and found the other there. When Melanie walked in the back door, Brady irritably confronted her. Melanie insisted that they were all there just to clean the cabin, and there was no matchmaking going on. Arianna started to leave, but Melanie informed her that there wasn't another ferry until that night.

Brady and Arianna were incredulous, and crossly lit into Melanie. Melanie declared that it was fine with her if they wanted to work in grouchy silence all day. Once they were alone, Brady demanded to know what Melanie had been thinking. She explained that when the two of them had helped save Philip and Stephanie, it had felt nice to do something for someone else. Brady was glad to hear about Melanie's new altruistic streak, but asked good-naturedly if she would butt out of his love life in the future.

Arianna returned with a feather duster, and stood on a chair to dust something up high. Brady tried to warn her against it, but she ignored him. Melanie, sweeping nearby, pretended to accidentally bump Arianna, knocking her off the chair-and right into Brady's arms.

Melanie rushed over and asked if Arianna were all right, but Arianna and Brady glared at her in reply. As they all resumed cleaning, Melanie bent down next to the table with a dustpan. Arianna spied a bucket of dirty water on the table, and used the opportunity to "spill" it on Melanie. When Melanie shrieked, Arianna simply shrugged and said, "Oops." Brady couldn't hide his smirk.

Horrified, Melanie grabbed a towel, and announced that she was going outside to shower off the filthy water. Brady, eyes wide in mock horror, exclaimed, "Remind me not to mess around with you!" Arianna and Brady laughed, agreeing that Melanie was, "sweet, but intensely annoying." Arianna then asserted that they could be friends, even if they weren't interested in each other romantically. Brady concurred, and admitted that he liked Arianna. She confessed that she liked him, too.

Melanie was outside in the shower, about to shampoo her hair, when Nathan appeared, startling them both. Melanie let out a whoop of surprise and tried to cover herself, as Nathan tried-unsuccessfully-to avert his eyes.

At the Java Café, E.J. ordered a coffee drink and a doughnut from Chad, and then took them to a table, where Johnny was waiting. At E.J.'s urging, Johnny took a bite of the "forbidden" treat. When his daddy promised that it would be their little secret, Johnny whispered, "Mommy." E.J. reassured the boy that Nicole loved him just as much as Sydney, and that the children meant the world to her. "About Mommy," Johnny whispered. Puzzled, E.J. asked, "You have a secret about your mother?" "Yeah!" Johnny whispered back, giggling.

At the DiMera mansion, Nicole put Sydney in her playpen, and then went to get a bottle. When she returned, Sydney was gone, and the French doors were standing wide open. Alarmed, Nicole looked around for her baby, shouting for Mary. Mary arrived and said that she hadn't seen Sydney, either, then immediately phoned to report Sydney missing.

Just then, Stefano walked in carrying the tot, oblivious to the panic he'd caused, and happily explained that he'd just been spending some "bonding time" with his granddaughter. When he remarked that he hoped to make it a morning ritual, Nicole snapped, "Like hell you will!"

After Mary had gone, Nicole apologized to Stefano. Stefano maintained that he owned both her and Sydney. Nicole was appalled, insisting, "I want her to grow up loved, not as some piece of property." Stefano asserted that he couldn't love Sydney more. Nicole almost blurted that she was beginning to understand why Sami had kept Grace from E.J., but stopped herself before she finished the thought. Stefano caught it and reminded her that Sydney would be raised as a DiMera because she was a DiMera. "My blood, not yours," he spat.

E.J. returned home and found his wife and daughter in the living room with Stefano. Nicole asked how the father and son outing had gone. E.J. calmly noted that he knew Johnny and Nicole shared a secret, but he hadn't known it had to do with Samantha. After thinking a moment, Nicole fabricated a cover story: she'd accidentally said something negative about Sami in front of Johnny, but had felt bad about badmouthing the boy's mother, so she'd asked him not to repeat it.

Seemingly appeased, E.J. went to see what Johnny and Mary were up to, as the clattering pots and pans in the kitchen could be heard from the living room. As soon as E.J. had gone, Stefano cautioned his daughter-in-law not to let her sympathy for Samantha obscure where Nicole's loyalties should lie. Nicole maintained that she was worried that Rafe's snooping would eventually uncover the truth. Stefano declared that he would take care of Rafe.

E.J. returned and asked if he could speak with Nicole alone. Once Stefano and Sydney were gone, E.J. apologized to Nicole for how difficult things had been since the wedding. To express his gratitude for her patience with him, and with Johnny, he presented her with a gift. Nicole was touched when she unwrapped it to find that E.J. had strung her locket on a new chain, and placed pictures of Sydney and Johnny inside. She kissed and embraced her husband in thanks.

In the foyer, Stefano made a phone call, asking his contact about Rafe Hernandez and Emily Hudson. "So that's what happened," he replied with a pleased smile.

When E.J. mentioned "that awful nightmare that was Samantha and all her lies," Nicole stiffened. Sensing his wife's discomfort, E.J. apologized, vowing that Samantha would never interfere with their lives again.

Johnny, who was supposed to be napping, called out for his daddy just then. After E.J. had gone to check on the boy, Nicole thoughtfully regarded a picture of Johnny. She picked up the phone and called Sami. Just as Nicole was declaring, "We need to talk about Johnny," E.J. returned.

At the townhouse, Sami sat at the computer, holding the laminated card from Emily Hudson's funeral. She read online that Emily had died the day she was supposed to have married Rafe. She was just puzzling over why, when Rafe suddenly entered, covered in sweat from running. Sami quickly closed the computer, hiding the card, and marveled that Rafe had run the whole three miles to her home. He noted that she had been quiet the night before at dinner, asked how she was doing.

Before Sami could answer, Rafe observed Grace's photo next to the computer. "Never mind," he said, and Sami shrieked when he playfully offered her a sweaty hug. She then confessed that she hadn't slept well because she was worried that E.J. would find out about Nicole allowing Johnny to visit. Rafe reassured her that the courts would never grant E.J. custody of Johnny. He then put his wallet on the coffee table and went to take a shower.

Sami hurriedly retrieved Emily's funeral card, and was just slipping it back into Rafe's wallet when Will arrived and caught her. Though Sami tried to cover, Will knew she was up to something. He asked why she didn't trust Rafe, pointing out that, with all her kids gone, Rafe was really the only person she had left. Sami declared that she did trust Rafe, and was trying to explain further when Rafe emerged from the shower. Will stormed out in disgust.

When Mia arrived for work at the Java Café, she was peeved to find that Chad had gotten a job there. He seemed surprised that she wasn't happier to see him, so she reminded him that he'd disappeared from her life a year before without a word. Though Chad tried to flirt and kid around, Mia firmly ordered him to stay away from her. Chad then apologized sincerely. He explained that his parents had sent him to military school, and hadn't wanted him to contact anyone from his old life-but he'd thought about her every minute.

Mia was skeptical, but grudgingly admitted she'd thought about him, too. Chad divulged that he'd learned where she was from Kinsey, and Mia got quiet. He asked why she seemed mad again. Mia remembered how Chad had asked her to a formal dance at school. She then implored, "Let's just not do this now. I cannot lose this job."

Since Mia seemed serious about not talking to him, Chad left, just as Will walked in. Mia apologetically told Will that she couldn't really talk right then. "That's okay," he replied. "I'm not really in the mood to talk."

As Mia chatted with Will a bit later, Chad returned, looking for his keys. He took one look at Will and asked, "This is the reason you've been blowing me off?" Will wanted to know who Chad was. "I'm her boyfriend," Chad replied.

Rafe spotted Emily's card peeking out of his wallet, and demanded to know why Sami had taken it. She tried to defend herself, but Rafe wasn't interested, reminding her that she'd agreed not to bring Emily up again. Sami declared that she'd meant it when she said it was okay for him to keep some things private, but his keeping something from her that was obviously such a big part of his past had made her realize that maybe she didn't know him at all.

Rafe argued somewhat defensively that Sami made it sound like she didn't trust him. She assured him that she did, but pointed out that E.J.'s lawyers would bring up all of her past misdeeds-and would also look into Rafe's past, since he was a big part of her life. "Is there a chance I could lose custody of Johnny because of one of your secrets?"

Rafe asked what kinds of secrets Sami thought he was keeping. She gently noted that Emily had died very young. Rafe reluctantly agreed to tell Sami whatever she wanted to know, but hoped she wasn't sorry later. He related the story slowly and simply: "Emily was the love of my life. We were engaged to be married. She died unexpectedly the day we were to be married."

Sami softly expressed her sympathy, but wondered if there were more to the story. When Rafe said there wasn't, Sami asked why he hadn't just told her. "Because it hurts," he replied. She quietly reassured him that they didn't have to talk about it anymore, and that she loved him.

Stephanie stopped by the Kiriakis mansion to return the keys to the car that Philip had given her. She was hoping to slip in and out without Philip seeing her, but he met her at the door and offered her a peace offering. It was a necklace with the Greek symbol for eternity. Stephanie didn't want to accept it. He thought she had stopped by because she changed her mind about wanting to be with him, but she said she was there to return the car keys.

Stephanie put down the keys and turned to leave, but Philip told her that he couldn't sleep, eat, or think straight without her. Stephanie said she was going through the same thing. Philip wanted to know why they were torturing themselves like that and asked why they couldn't be together. She told him that she didn't want to give up on them, but she didn't know any other way. Philip suggested they go to Greece like she had suggested once before.

Stephanie pointed out that he hated the idea of going to Greece before, and he said he realized that everything would have been different if they had left. Philip started to book the jet, and encouraged Stephanie to go with him. She wondered how things would be different, since Greece was where all his family was from, so he suggested they move to where her parents were. She couldn't see him living in a hut, but he said he was used to roughing it, because he was a Marine. He said he would do anything for Stephanie.

Philip kissed Stephanie and suggested they go upstairs to make love, but she stopped him. She said she understood that it was hard for him to let go, because she had broken up with him before and they got back together. He promised to protect her, but she said as long as she wasn't involved with him, she didn't have to be afraid of the DiMeras or Victor.

At the Horton cabin, Melanie was taking a shower outside when Nathan walked up and surprised her. Brady and Arianna were about to kiss when they heard Melanie scream, so they ran outside to investigate. Brady grabbed Nathan, but Melanie told Brady that he was her roommate. Brady realized that he was the guy that Melanie had been talking about. He blurted out, "You're the guy?" To which Nathan replied, "What guy?"

Brady asked Melanie if she wanted to tell Nathan or if she wanted Brady to tell him. Melanie wanted to get dressed, but Brady continued his conversation with Nathan. He introduced himself and Arianna to Nathan. Nathan said that Melanie took him under her wing. Melanie was annoyed that they seemed to ignore her when she wanted some privacy so she could get dressed and go back inside.

Arianna suggested they let Melanie get dressed, so she and Brady went back inside while Nathan grilled Melanie on what Brady meant by Nathan being "the guy." Melanie didn't want to talk about it, so she made a joke about Nathan being egotistical. It reminded him of the day that he moved into Maggie's house, except he was the one who was half-dressed. Melanie threw her loofah at Nathan.

Brady asked Nathan how he made it to the cabin since Melanie said the ferry didn't run again until that night. Nathan looked at Melanie and said he took a motorboat and almost didn't make it. When Melanie saw Brady and Arianna talking, she came up with an excuse to leave the cabin. Brady suggested he and Arianna play poker.

Melanie returned, surprised that all they wanted to do was play cards when they had the cabin to themselves. Brady suggested they play for money. Nathan suggested they play for booze, but Melanie wanted to play strip poker. Melanie didn't seem to know much about poker, so Arianna thought it was a bad idea to play, but she reassured her that it would be fun. Before long, it was clear that Melanie had pretended to be a novice at poker, because the boys had to strip down to their underwear.

At the Java Café, Will asked Mia if Chad was her boyfriend, and she said no. Chad apologized and said that old habits were hard to break. Mia said she couldn't talk because the manager had already warned her against talking to customers during her shift. Chad got angry that she didn't want to talk to him, yet she was willing to talk to Will. Mia apologized to Will, but he wanted to know why she hadn't mentioned Chad before.

Will asked if Mia ever dated Chad, and she admitted she went out with him a couple times a while before, but Chad was "a total psycho" who she wanted to forget. Will and Mia made plans to go bowling, and when she left to go home and change, Chad headed towards the door, but Will stood in his way. He told Chad to stay away from Mia.

Chad wasn't fazed. He said that Mia was "seriously hot," and he praised Will's taste in women. Chad tried to give Will a high five, but Will ignored him. Will said that Mia was right about Chad being psycho. Will said Mia claimed that Chad was no big deal. Chad said their relationship was more serious than Will was led to believe. Mia returned home, and she was distraught that Chad was back in town. She reminisced about how much she was in love with Chad before.

At the DiMera mansion, E.J. overheard Nicole on the phone with Sami, telling her that they needed to talk about Johnny. Nicole noticed E.J. had walked in, so she hung up the phone and tried to deflect E.J.'s attention. E.J. asked Nicole why she was on the phone with Sami. Nicole accused E.J. of treating her like a child. E.J. said they had just agreed never to mention Sami's name again, and yet Nicole was on the phone with Sami immediately following. E.J. asked why Nicole was talking to Sami.

Nicole lied and said that Sami had been calling Nicole. E.J. asked why Sami called Nicole, and Nicole said it was because Sami wanted her to convince E.J. to drop the custody suit. Nicole claimed that she told Sami that Nicole couldn't help her. But E.J. still didn't understand why Sami wanted to talk to Nicole. Nicole said she told Sami to back off. Nicole said she understood how Sami felt, because if someone tried to take Sydney away, Nicole would do everything she could to prevent that from happening.

E.J. blew up at Nicole and accused her of siding with Sami, who kept him from his daughter and didn't tell him about Grace until after Grace died. Nicole told him that she wasn't Sami and she would never keep him from his child. E.J. said he knew that Nicole was always honest and loyal, but Nicole said that she wasn't perfect, but she always made E.J. and Johnny her priority. E.J. apologized for taking his pain out on her. Stefano overheard them talking and agreed with E.J. that Sydney's mother wouldn't deceive E.J.

Stefano noticed that E.J. had given Nicole the locket containing a picture of Sydney and Johnny, and he hoped that Nicole would one day pass it on to Sydney. E.J. left the room to take a call, and Nicole asked Stefano if he enjoyed torturing her. Stefano said he got a kick out of what Nicole was up to on any given day. He admitted that he found out about Nicole sneaking Johnny over to Sami's place. Stefano warned Nicole that she was slipping. She said she was handling it, and Stefano said he hoped so, because he couldn't imagine what E.J. would do if he found out what she was up to.

Nicole warned Stefano that his decision not to tell E.J. about Sydney would anger E.J., also. Stefano pointed out that he and Nicole were allies with just as much to lose. E.J. walked in when Stefano was talking to himself about how Nicole wasn't about to deprive Stefano of his progeny. E.J. asked who Stefano was talking about, and Stefano said he was talking about Sami. E.J. confronted Stefano about how unfazed he seemed when Grace died. Stefano said E.J. knew that family was Stefano's priority.

E.J. confided in his father that he was projecting what he sensed with Nicole, who thought E.J. was being too hard on Sami. Stefano thought that Nicole of all people would want to see Sami punished. E.J. said he wasn't punishing Sami -- he didn't want someone who denied E.J.'s child's birthright to raise his son.

Bo ran into Victor in the park and noticed what a good mood Victor was in. Bo asked Victor why he was so happy, and Victor said everything had settled down and there was no more feud between his family and the DiMeras. Bo believed it was because Victor "put Stephanie on a short leash." Bo accused Victor of threatening Stephanie, but Victor said he was merely comforting her. Victor pointed out that she and Philip were engaged, and he warned Bo to leave it alone.

Bo stopped by the Kiriakis mansion and told Philip how Victor wanted Bo to be happy. Philip scoffed, saying the words "Kiriakis" and "happy" could never go together. Philip told Bo that Stephanie called off the engagement. Bo wondered what Victor did to make Stephanie call things off, and Philip said he didn't do anything -- "he just is."

Philip considered Bo lucky that he got out of Victor's clutches, but Bo said he was raised a Brady, unlike Philip who was raised a Kiriakis. Bo said he never had any regrets about not being raised as Victor's child. Bo told Philip to figure out what was important to him, because with a woman like Stephanie, he had to choose between money and power or Stephanie.

At the Brady Pub, Nicole asked Stephanie if she had seen Brady at the Kiriakis mansion, but Stephanie said didn't know because she called off her engagement to Philip. Stephanie said she was expected to help E.J. over Sami, whose daughter just died. Nicole asked if that meant she would testify at the custody hearing, and Stephanie vowed to "do what's right."

Nicole tried to talk Stephanie out of testifying against E.J. Stephanie asked if Nicole felt sorry for Sami and wondered how she could be married to someone like E.J. Nicole got upset and defended E.J., vowing to do anything to protect her family. Then, she stormed out. Victor walked over to Stephanie's table and asked if any "treaties" were signed.

Stephanie couldn't believe that she couldn't talk to Nicole without Victor thinking they were plotting together. Victor said Stephanie was about to become a Kiriakis, but she corrected him and said she broke up with Philip. Victor told Stephanie that she and Philip were not over.

Nicole returned to the mansion to warn E.J. that things had changed regarding Johnny's custody hearing.

At the Horton cabin, Melanie and Arianna were playing strip poker against Brady and Nathan, who were down to only their boxer shorts. As Melanie dealt one last hand, the women teased the men about how they'd laughed at the idea of girls beating them. With Melanie somewhat distracted, Brady was able to catch her at card counting. Nathan declared that it wasn't the first time his body had driven women to drastic measures.

Much good-natured ribbing ensued, until Melanie nearly spilled her juice on Nathan's designer shirt, and he freaked out. Melanie proclaimed it to be a knock-off, and then offered to sell Nathan's clothes back to him. Brady asserted that if Arianna kept his clothes, it would seriously lower his opinion of her. She joked that she would comfort herself by imagining the men riding back to Salem in their underwear.

Nathan pulled Brady aside and asked if he could borrow the money to buy his clothes back. Brady agreed. Nathan grudgingly gave the cash to Melanie, who offered to treat him to dinner with her winnings. He accepted, affably noting that the two of them should try her card-counting skills in Las Vegas. Brady then proposed that he and Arianna should also go to dinner, only without Nathan and Melanie, and she accepted.

Nathan told Melanie that they couldn't go to dinner that night, because she needed to study, and he had to work. They bantered playfully, and Nathan offered to help Melanie study. He then withdrew the offer, citing a conflict of interest-because he was her teacher's assistant. Melanie was stunned.

Privately, Melanie teased that Brady should thank her for meddling in his life. With a smile, he disagreed, ordering her not to do it again.

As they arrived at the hospital together later, Melanie and Nathan continued to good-naturedly feign dislike for each other. As Nathan got on the elevator, he reminded Melanie that she owed him dinner.

Brady and Arianna walked through the park. After teasing Brady about seeing him in his boxers, Arianna noted that he and Melanie had exchanged a look when Nathan mentioned playing poker for beers. Brady admitted that he used to be an addict. He added that he was glad she'd brought it up, because he thought it was about time she knew. He then suggested a Thai restaurant for dinner. With some reluctance, Arianna said, "I'm sorry, but I don't think this is going to work." Brady assumed that she just meant she had other plans, so she clarified: "I don't think we're ever going to have that dinner."

At the Kiriakis mansion, Bo asserted that the only way Philip could be with Stephanie was to walk away from his father, and his job at Titan-including all the power that went with it. Philip somewhat cockily maintained that he could have Stephanie and the money and power. Bo pointed out that Stephanie had stuck by Philip through two attempts on his life and her kidnapping, but she had finally realized that her relationship with Philip was changing her into someone she didn't want to be.

Philip acknowledged that he didn't want that for Stephanie, but he loved working at Titan more than he could love any other job. He noted that Bo had walked away, but still got to be a cop and have a family. "You have it all, man. But I only have Stephanie."

At the Brady Pub, Stephanie informed Victor that she wasn't going to become a Kiriakis, because she and Philip were over. Victor acknowledged that he'd reacted "unfortunately" before, but he was sad to learn that she and Philip had broken up, because Philip loved her deeply. He asked her to consider her decision carefully, because if she testified against E.J., innocent people could get killed.

Stephanie wasn't buying it, and refused to let Victor intimidate her. She added that she wished she'd heeded her grandmother's advice. Victor quietly maintained that it would be hard for two people as in love as Stephanie and Philip to stay away from each other, and repeated his request for her to reconsider testifying.

When Philip arrived, he was not pleased to find Victor talking to Stephanie. Philip declared firmly, "Stephanie and I are going to work this out ourselves-with no interference from you."

Victor observed from his table as Philip and Stephanie talked outside. An angry Caroline approached Victor. "My granddaughter is not a pawn in your war with the DiMeras," she declared, ordering him to leave Stephanie alone. Victor suspected that Caroline believed that since he hadn't been able to change, Philip couldn't either.

Caroline argued that she certainly hadn't seen any evidence that Philip had changed. Victor gently stated that losing Caroline was his greatest regret. Caroline didn't want Stephanie to go through what Caroline had gone through, and reiterated her demand for Victor to leave Stephanie and Philip alone.

Outside, Stephanie told Philip that she had to leave for a job interview at University Hospital. Philip urged her not to leave Titan-or to at least hear him out. He declared that if Bo could walk away from the Kiriakis family, Philip could, too. Stephanie was dubious, contending that they were in a no-win situation. Philip confessed that he was having a hard time accepting that it was over. Stephanie pleaded with him not to make it harder on her than it already was, and to just say goodbye. Reluctantly, Philip stated, "Goodbye." With a ragged sigh, Stephanie sadly kissed him on the cheek and left.

When Melanie arrived at the pub later, she found Philip sitting alone. Although she noticed he seemed distracted, she nattered on anyway about the great guy she'd just spent the afternoon with. Philip tried to feign interest, but eventually Melanie caught on and asked what was wrong. He informed her that Stephanie had broken off their engagement. Melanie reassured him that Stephanie had broken up with him before, but she always came back. "Trust me, you're the only person in the world for her."

At the hospital later, Nurse Maxine told Stephanie, "If I were a gambling woman, I'd bet you just nailed that interview." Stephanie was worried that if she got the job, it would only be because of her mom. Maxine asserted that Stephanie fit the job requirements perfectly: she was organized and good with people.

As Stephanie was leaving, Nathan ran right into her, knocking her purse and his papers to the floor. As they bent down to pick up their belongings, he apologetically insisted it was his fault. Stephanie agreed, laughing, and their eyes met for a long moment.

In the park, Hope explained to Ciara that she couldn't play with Tommy Bear because he was hibernating for a while. She presented the child with a stuffed giraffe to play with in the meantime. After Ciara had scampered off, Hope's friend, Ellen, stopped by the park, to look after Ciara while the women's daughters played together. Ellen noticed that Hope seemed preoccupied, but Hope insisted everything was fine. Hope left, promising to return with an iced mochaccino for Ellen.

Hope then met Bo at the Java Café. Bo admitted that he'd wanted to smack Philip into taking his advice, adding that he was proud of Stephanie for walking away. Hope wondered if Philip could do the same. Bo thought that although it would be tough, Philip should walk away, because he would be happy with Stephanie.

Hope told Bo that she'd left Ciara with Ellen in the park, because she wanted to talk to him alone. She admitted she was worried about Bo's visions. She pointed out that just because they'd put Tommy Bear away, it didn't mean something wouldn't happen to Ciara. Bo countered that not all of his visions came true. Hope quietly asserted that, regardless, she had to take them seriously, because she couldn't go through losing another child.

As Ciara played with Tracy, Ellen's daughter, Tracy, pulled a stuffed bear from her backpack. "Tommy Bear!" Ciara exclaimed. Tracy offered to trade the bear for Ciara's giraffe, and Ciara happily agreed.

A little later, Hope and Bo went to the park to pick up Ciara, and presented Ellen with a mochaccino. The girls had both zipped their stuffed animals into their backpacks, so no one noticed the switch. Bo and Hope thanked Ellen, and left with Ciara.

At the DiMera mansion, Nicole cautioned E.J. that Stephanie planned to testify at Johnny's custody hearing, and state that E.J. was behind Stephanie's kidnapping. E.J. wasn't worried, but when Nicole tried to reason with him, he became angry. He insisted that he would not lose custody because Judge Fitzpatrick was on his side. Nicole persisted, pointing out that Stephanie would be a very sympathetic witness-and the press and the D.A. would likely take note of what she said. She urged E.J. to think about what he was planning to do, for her and Sydney's sake.

Nicole then carried Sydney into the living room, to illustrate exactly what E.J. would be risking if Stephanie's testimony ended up sending him to prison. E.J. reminded his wife that she'd supported his decision before. Nicole replied that she hadn't known then that Stephanie was going to testify against him. She became emotional as she stressed that E.J. had to think about what was best for Johnny.

E.J. vehemently declared, "What is best for Johnny is not being raised by that lying, vengeful woman!" Nicole argued that when Johnny ultimately learned why he never got to see his mother-or his twin sister or older brother-he would hate E.J. "He will hate you with a cold, white hate that will kill you."

E.J. surmised that Nicole was really talking about her own feelings. She assured him that she could never hate him, but tearfully admitted she was worried that things wouldn't turn out the way he wanted. He saw how scared and upset she was, and softly apologized. She begged him to trust her.

"I do trust you," E.J. admitted. "I know that you just want to help me." Nicole gently asserted that she just wanted the three of them to be together. E.J. acknowledged that he'd put her through a lot. Nicole cracked a joke, and both managed a laugh, relaxing a little. She teased, "You take protecting your family to mind-boggling extremes, E.J.!" She admitted that she did, too, adding that she would be on his side if he decided to go through with the custody suit.

E.J. acknowledged that, thanks to Nicole and Sydney, he'd finally realized that his actions had consequences-consequences that were more important than his pride. Nicole was pleased and surprised when he admitted that she'd gotten through to him. Because he didn't want to put Sydney through a custody trial, he would work out an arrangement with Samantha. Nicole lovingly declared that she was very proud of him. E.J. then vowed, "I will never forget what she did to me. And if anybody-anybody-ever betrays me like that again, they will be punished."